When thinking of the holidays, the last thing you think about is saving money, and saving money on groceries is even farther down the list of those thoughts, but did you know that many produce, meat, and dairy items go on sale the week before a major holiday? Sometimes these prices or items cannot be found any other time of year. If you are living the frugal lifestyle it is important to know how to make these sale items last as long as possible in your stockpile. The best way to do that is canning or freezing. Canning is not my forte, but I have frozen just about everything you can think of to freeze and some of my favorite freezable items are meat, dairy, and produce.

Meat

Is it cooked or uncooked? This will determine how you need to package it and how long you plan on it being in the freezer. Unless it is vacuum packed, remove it from its original packaging. If you know you will be using it soon, like within the week, butcher paper and tape should work just fine. If the meat is on the bone, double wrap or wrap then bag for prolonged storage. Ground meat like hamburger you can store in zip lock type freezer bags laid flat to freeze and then standing for more storage space.

Safety is also a major concern when storing meat. Make sure you use proper thawing techniques; some parasites can revive after lying dormant during freezing. Washing meat before freezing is not required but it is most certainly required before cooking whether fresh or frozen.

The amount of time a meat is frozen is also important. I follow the time chart as well as all the tips given by the USDA on storing meat.

Dairy

This is one of my favorite food groups to freeze. When the children’s yogurt tubes go on sale with coupons I buy them in bulk and freeze them. My children love them frozen almost as well as they do in their natural state. I also freeze butter, cream cheese, and hard cheeses of all kinds. Did you know that if you bake or cook a lot you can freeze milk and eggs too? They need extra preparation for freezing and I wouldn’t recommend drinking or eating them by themselves when thawed but for baking it works great and you cannot tell the difference. I use the dairy freezer guide over at NDSU for helpful tips and hints on freezing dairy products.

Produce

As with dairy, freezing produce takes a little preparatory work, but for the money you save over the year it can certainly be worth your time. You will need to use the freshest produce you can find, and freeze it as soon as you can. Make sure to wash and dry everything thoroughly and cut into uniform sized pieces. If the item is fruit you can freeze them as is, in water, or in simple syrup. With veggies, it depends on the vegetable and how you intend to use it, some do better cooked, others raw. I use the freezing vegetable guide over at Garden Guides as to what each vegetable may need.

General freezing tips and hints:

● Make your wrapping/plastic bags/containers as airtight as possible.

● If freezing anything in liquid form make sure you give it at least 20% head room to expand.

● Clearly label and mark all containers including a date.

● Just like rotating any other stockpile items, move new things to back or bottom of freezer and older items to the front or top.

● Check the maintenance schedule and capacity limits of your freezer. This will help ensure the best environment for your food.

Remember freezing as we look towards holiday food sales as a way to use those sales to our advantage for many months to come.

For more frugal living tips, see Heather's Hints.